Inside Unmanned Systems

AUG-SEP 2018

Inside Unmanned Systems provides actionable business intelligence to decision-makers and influencers operating within the global UAS community. Features include analysis of key technologies, policy/regulatory developments and new product design.

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69 August/September 2018 unmanned systems
inside
ENGINEERING. PRACTICE. POLICY.
what data is available and how do we get it,"
Findlay said. "Law enforcement and defense
investigations are generally reactive in na-
ture—therefore, by necessity, we are usually
playing catch-up. Having such a research
project in existence, sharing not just its find-
ings but also the methodologies employed
and the working data, provides a tangible
helping hand to anyone who subsequently
needs to investigate a case which involves
such devices. When an individual investiga-
tor gets that first case involving drone data,
here we have a valuable source of informa-
tion which is not only going to make their
job easier, but also provide a reference pool
of data which they can check against. It helps
investigators do a better job, and a better job
means better delivery of justice and a safer
world."
INTERNATIONAL INTEREST
This drone forensic program is surveying users
regarding their use of this data. "We've had just
over 100 responses at this point from North
America, South America, Europe, the Middle
East, Asia, Africa, Australia—the only place
we don't have a response from is Antarctica,"
Watson said. "We learned from the survey
that this is a global issue being faced by law
enforcement agencies around the planet." The
survey is available at droneforensics.com.
Watson noted they have had drone op-
erators "call us the enemy and tell them we
are ruining their industry on social media,"
Watson said. "We are viewed by some as a
spoilsport looking to take away their hobby
or their livelihood."
"I think it's just that some drone opera-
tors are reticent of government regulations
and how those might impact them," Watson
said. "My answer back to them is that we
have no inf luence in what rules are made or
how they are enforced—we're just interested
in what data we can learn from aircraft. If
some people have violated a law or rule in a
jurisdiction, the drone may be able to prove
that. On the other hand, if drone operators
are accused of violating a law and rule and
they did not do that, the same information
stored in the drone can show they did not
actually do what they are accused of."
Ali Dehghantanha, director of the Security
of Advanced Systems Lab at the University
of Guelph in Canada, has been using this
forensic data to create artificial intelligence
(AI) software to identify drones potentially
infected by malware.
The rate at which technology develops is
incredible, and often devices will be used in
the commission of a crime before they are fully
understood from the perspective of what data is
available and how do we get it."
Benjamin Findlay, senior lecturer in crime intelligence and data analytics, Teesside University in England
"
"I was amazed with the potential that all
those data have in creation of AI agents that
could provide active defense for drones and
automatically detect those which are poten-
tially compromised," he said. "This project
paves the way for building forensically sound
methods for drone investigation and, more
specif ically, identifying what illicit actions
were taken and when those activities took
place. At the same time, we can identify gaps
or weaknesses that exist in extending current
forensics practices to drone investigation—if
there is any missing data that is supposed to
be recorded and needed during an investi-
gation, or changing the usual investigation
process when dealing with drones."
All in all, Watson said he felt "tremendous-
ly humbled that our research is being used
all over the world. Law enforcement agencies
and governments on every continent are us-
ing the scientific research we have completed
to complete investigations, protect their citi-
zens and make a difference in our world."